Tank disaster, don't know where to start

[Loach Master]

I was out of town for a few weeks on business. I paid the neighbor kid to watch my place and my tank. What a mistake!
Came home to dead fish and plants in my planted 75 gal. It's awful. All fish but 2 clown loaches are dead. Have no idea how long it went unattended, but they have rotted away and there is decay and like a slime coat on everything and all the plants. It's disgusting and I don't know where to start with the clean up. I almost want to rip the plants out and start over. I just restocked with cool fish before i left too.

Maybe i should make my koi pond home to some piranhas. They'd probably do a better job of keeping watch over the house.

 

[Neophyte]

Sorry to read of your loss.

Fish keeping 101 never have anyone that isn't an avid fish keeper ever attend your tanks. It almost always ends badly especially if longer than a couple of days.

 

[Neko-Chan]

oh mys... this willl be one of my future problems going away.. this coming christmas... needing someone to watch my tanks.

Any ways... let see.. =x
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•Test the Water... Obviously Ammonia or Nitrates is high or something
But just incase you never know, the kid might have added something that might
have changed the chemistry of the tank.

•Remove All deads.

•Remove decaying plants / prune some dead leaves see what you can salvage.

•Do Water Change. Let the System settle and Balance it self out agian.

Then um..

um...

Think of ways that might better the system/tank to make it even more self sustaining, for future holidays or trips. Adding Sump ect, Extra Filtration, Less Stocking, This way You can get away with more weeks skipping water changes. Im not saying to neglect it now that the system is improved, but incase of a trip or you have to leave, the system can sustain it self. Telling someone to feed pre portioned food. Maybe Every other day or every 3 days.

And um.. what Neophyte said..

Never let that kid or just any kid with no knowledge of fishkeeping take care of the fish.. specially if they are being paid. Paying money... to loss moeny =(

Sorry for the lost.. and i Wish you Well in Recovering your tank =^___^=V